From the moment the intro of ‘Piles of Sand’ by Sam Robbins shares a perfect finger picked, acoustic melody, there’s a sense of the artist drawing his audience into something special. As the guitar melody grows with Sam adding a few broader strokes, the opening number from his 2025 album ‘So Much I Still Don’t See’ takes on an amazing folk-pop stance, but it’s with the arrival of a hushed vocal, those very positive first impressions are very much confirmed. The narrative track is perfect for Sam’s voice as he quietly cries through a lyric that reflects on the old adage about how small problems become larger if taken out of context, and how time passes, “empires fall”, but a little self-belief can keep us trucking. Throughout these perfectly formed four minutes, the performer takes the greatest influences from 90s acoustic sounds and even further back, with hints of Bruce Cockburn, James Taylor, and even a pinch of Gordon Lightfoot, blending them into something that’s very much his own. There’s a real purity to this performance. The music is superb, but every vocal note here has an even bigger emotive pull that’s almost impossible to resist.

This isn’t just a great opening number – it’s a performance that sets a solid template for the material that follows; a selection of songs that slowly uncover a world where Sam’s very personal approach brings a world of great narratives to acoustic based fare that often feels familiar. ‘The Real Thing’ offers a harder edge to the main guitar melody at first, but soon slips rather gently into something mellow that calls back to a few James Taylor classics. There’s certainly a retro heart, but a pleasingly bright production sound places Robbins alongside a few more twenty first century artists, and particularly Steve Hewitt. The shuffling melodies are often unobtrusive, allowing the lead vocal to take centre stage once again, and armed with another self-reflecting lyric, the track gives the album another early highlight. ‘Rosie’ slows the tempo even further to allow Sam to add a little light jazz to his chosen melody. The blend of finger picked guitar and piano is perfect during the intro, and as the melody grows, his melodic inflections take on a natural tone that makes a tune with a very 30s lilt sound a little more contemporary. If you’ve been drawn into Sam’s musical world so far, the rest of the album will certainly appeal, even with a few changes of mood along the way.

‘All So Important’ places more focus on a band set up, with drums and organ adding a soul-pop edge to Sam’s already familiar folk pop sound. Lyrically, this is just as positive as the music suggests, with the protagonist reflecting on a world that once had giant temples that can only “be read about in dusty old textbooks”, before celebrating other landmarks that are now “grains of sand”, tapping into one of the songwriter’s favourite themes – the idea that everything in life is so fleeting, and how we have to live in the moment. The fuller arrangement actually shifts the focus away from Sam just a little, and the standout elements here don’t actually come from either his voice or guitar. The way the organ swirls beneath his voice creates a couple of moments that are immediately appealing, and a descending piano line dropped in at the track’s end suggests a real musical spark. Some listeners will definitely hear the ghosts of Lowen & Navarro here, but with hints of various other 90s folk-pop/mellow singer songwriters lurking beneath the track’s surface, this track is a genuine winner. Elsewhere, ‘Ride With Me’ reverts to solo vocal/guitar sounds at first, with Sam’s huge chords strummed easily, taking his once folky sound further into the realms of Americana. The song shares a lilting country melody that’s perfect for his travelogue set beneath Nashville skies, and bringing in the bass and drums half way really builds upon a great atmosphere. Some subtly applied reverb on a twangy electric guitar adds an extra country infused sound that helps to complete an already effective musical picture, and overall, these few minutes reinforce a feeling that Robbins is a very confident performer and lyricist.

When it comes to sharing an old fashioned emotional stance, ‘What A Little Love Can Do’ doesn’t hold back. By opening with voice and piano, the track’s sedate qualities immediately call out to the listener, and the arrival of an upright bass brings a whole world of warmth without ever feeling fussy. The big draw here, naturally, is Sam’s voice and he hits a sweet spot somewhere between 90s inspired radio pop and light country, sounding absolutely terrific throughout. Lyrically, he’s unafraid to suggest that a little love goes a long way, and manages to share his sentiments without anything sounding trite. With its themes of reaching out to others and of trying to keep optimistic, the lyric has a universal quality, and the fact that the core piano melody is very closely related to John Hiatt’s classic ‘Have A Little Faith In Me’ really doesn’t hurt either. The obvious nods to the Hiatt classic actually helps this to be a genuine standout on an album that’s already packed with first class material.

The title cut finds Robbins musing upon changing times, but also how there’s still big changes to be made, and how he won’t close his eyes to a world deserving of more diversity and inclusivity. “It’s easy to say we have reached the higher ground” he cries, knowing that we can’t become complacent. Factor in a smooth harmony driving a simple hook, and once again, Sam goes squarely for the emotive angle, pulling at the heartstrings and probing for thought in a way that seems very natural. Released at a time of great unrest in the US, helmed by a president and a billionaire businessman who has become a cuckoo in the White House, this feels like a welcomely pointed track in the performer’s catalogue. Closing an absolutely gorgeous ten song collection, Robbins treats his audience to something that’ll be well known to many listeners. His version of The Beatles’ ‘I Will’ is perfectly suited to his understated folk/Americana interests, and the way he croons the familiar lyric so softly appears to breathe a new emotion into the well worn track. In addition, a perfectly applied harmony courtesy of Sam’s fiancee Halley Neal lifts everything considerably. Her warm, aching tones are not only perfect for the track, but also really sell the idea that the simple lyric is meant to be shared with a loved one. Once heard, this duet makes McCartney’s 1968 recording feel like a missed opportunity.

On this third long player, Robbins really comes of age as both a songwriter and musician. Almost everything here sounds like the work of someone whom has a veteran songwriter’s heart, and the melodic hooks are crafted with a real care. The material is timeless; the tones are often low-key and rather beautiful. If you have any interest in acoustic sounds, whether approached as a fan of easy listening singer-songwriter sounds, through folk, Americana or even adult pop, you owe it to yourselves to listen to ‘So Much I Still Don’t See’. You won’t be disappointed.

April 2025